The attack was a blur but Leon Williams can recall certain moments with great clarity as he was savaged: how he let the two dogs maul his legs so they didn’t go for his throat; and how he closed his eyes in utter disbelief that it was happening at all.
When the ordeal was over – it lasted three or four minutes – he fled as fast as his injuries permitted, one dog in pursuit. Horrified hotel staff immediately called an ambulance: he was patched up in hospital and has been unable to work ever since.
“Had this attack happened to a child or an elderly person, they wouldn’t be here today,” said the 59-year-old. “I’ve still got my ripped and bloodied trousers – every time I look at them I shake my head in disbelief this could have happened.
“I think about the attack every single day. It was horrific and will stay with me for a long time.”
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Leon, from Margate, Kent, was spending a few days in Caernarfon when the nightmare unfolded. A dance and fitness instructor, he’d been invited to give a series of dance workshops in the Gwynedd town, staying at the Royal Celtic Hotel.
On the final day, with just one workshop left, he decided to go for a pre-breakfast walk around Caernarfon. He was advised to go for a stroll up Twthill, a viewpoint overlooking the town giving a panoramic view of Anglesey and the Menai Strait and the Eryri mountains.
From there his last photo was time-stamped 8.11am on Sunday, March 29. Moments later, the attack began. Leon had noticed a man walking uphill and took little notice until it became apparent he was struggling to contain two dogs on leads.
Leon’s legs were left covered in blood(Image: Leon Williams)
“I wasn’t anxious or fearful but I decided to take a shortcut back down so he wasn’t following me,” he said. “But when I turned to look back, the next thing I knew, they were on me.”
Leon is 6ft and the dogs were not big, just shin-high. But when they bowled him over, his fate was sealed. The larger of the two dogs clamped onto his left leg behind his knee; the smaller dog went for his right leg.
“I can remember with great clarity protecting my neck so that the dogs didn’t go for my neck,” he said. “I couldn’t get up because I was on a grassy slope and the dogs had hold of both my legs. I was also pinned down by the owner leaning on me trying to get the dogs off.
“The bigger dog was causing the most damage. The pain was instant in both legs, especially the left. There was blood everywhere.”
The deepest puncture wounds were on Leon’s left leg behind his knee(Image: Leon Williams)
‘I just ran and ran and ran’
When, for a moment, the bigger dog released its grip, Leon was able to get to his feet, tripping over the other dog as it held on to his right leg. “Then I just ran and ran and ran,” he said.
“I’m not sure where. The police later told me I must have gone over a footbridge but I can’t remember that. One dog was chasing me. When I reached the High Street I looked back and it wasn’t there – at some stage it must have given up.
“By this time the adrenaline was starting to wear off. I began hobbling, trying to make it back to the hotel.”
The Celtic Royal Hotel in Caernarfon(Image: David Powell)
Having phoned ahead, the event organiser and hotel receptionist were waiting for him. In a private space, he removed his shredded trousers. “As soon as she saw my wounds, the receptionist called the police and ambulance,” he said.
He spent the morning in Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, being patched up and receiving tetanus injections. He was due to return home that evening but was so battered he opted to stay overnight in Liverpool instead.
The wounds have begun healing but the incident has left mental scars(Image: Leon Williams)
A week later, he posted photos of his injuries on Facebook’s Caru Caernarfon page. “I wasn’t looking for sympathy, I just wanted to raise awareness,” he said. “I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I’d gone through.
“Caernarfon is a beautiful place and I shall no doubt visit again. But what happened has left a mental scar. I’ve had to cancel all my classes for a while, so I’m not earning.
Twthill in Caernarfon(Image: North Wales Live)
“It was actually quite cathartic publishing the post – like a bit of self-therapy – as hopefully it will help others.
“I was told the dog owner was interviewed by police the next day. A police officer called me yesterday asking if I wanted to press charges. I said 100% yes, this can’t be allowed to happen again.”
North Wales Police said a man voluntarily attended an interview. A spokesperson said: “We received a report on 29 March that a man had been attacked by two dogs while walking in the area of Twthill, Caernarfon.
“A 68-year-old man voluntarily attended Caernarfon Police station where he was interviewed in connection with the incident. The investigation is ongoing.”
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